Red Dwarf finally returns to Earth

It's taken them 21 years, but this Easter the crew of Red Dwarf will finally return to Earth in a two-part special which reunites many of the original cast.

The homecoming is courtesy of digital channel Dave, which on Friday 10 April will broadcast the first installment of Red Dwarf: Back to Earth - penned by the show's co-creator Doug Naylor and featuring Chris Barrie as Rimmer, Craig Charles as Lister, Danny John-Jules as Cat and Robert Llewellyn as Kryten.

Once fans have enjoyed the second part of Back to Earth, the Easter dwarfest continues with Red Dwarf: Unplugged which "will deliver the cast of Red Dwarf as they’ve never been seen before - no sets, no effects… and no cue cards". The weekend wraps with Red Dwarf: the Making of Back to Earth, unsurprisingly described as a "behind the scenes special from the new production".

The original Red Dwarf ran for eight series on the BBC between 1988 and 1999, pulling a peak of around eight million viewers. It was shown in 25 countries and has sold an impressive seven million DVDs and videos, according to the Beeb. ®